NCB to research participation of disabled children and young people

Wednesday 2 December 2009

NCB, will lead exciting new research in partnership with the Council for Disabled Children, the Alliance for Inclusive Education (Allfie), and The Children's Society on the participation of disabled children and young people in services and matters which affect them.

Current policy which encourages the involvement of children and young people in matters that affect them, has increased participation in the services they use, however the participation of disabled children and young people has not increased correspondingly.

Little is known about the most effective ways of enabling disabled children and young people to participate in developing services, or the ways they would prefer to be involved.

A new three year project, supported by the Big Lottery Fund, will involve disabled children and young people in the research process, as young researchers and advisors. Consultations and detailed studies with organisations working with disabled children and young people will ascertain which practices work most effectively and how these can be shared and implemented more widely. A research report and practical toolkits which can be used by organisations and disabled young people, will result from the findings.

Helen Wheatley, Assistant Director, Council For Disabled Children says;

'Disabled children and young people are often denied the right to participate in important decisions which affect their lives. CDC and NCB are delighted to work with Allfie, The Children's Society, and the Big Lottery Fund, to build upon the capacity for children and young people to participate in the research process. The project will realise good practices which support disabled children and young people to participate in strategic developments in their local areas and consider how examples of effective practice can be embedded within common practice.'

For more information contact the media office media@ncb.org.uk